Two Hazelden Betty Ford Grad School scholars awarded national fellowships by National Board for Certified Counselors

Center City, Minn. (Oct. 15, 2023) – The Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School congratulates two of its master's-level students for earning fellowships that fuel the growth of racial diversity in the substance use and mental health disorder treatment field. 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) through a grant, which increases the number of culturally competent addiction counselors and mental health counselors available to underserved minority populations, with a specific focus on transition-age youth (ages 16–25). 

The program administers up to 50 master's-level counseling fellowships of $15,000 for addictions counseling students, plus the travel expenses to participate in other program-related trainings. More information on the program fellows can be viewed at: https://nbccf.org/programs/fellows/addictioncounseling.

"Minorities" include but are not limited to racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, rural, or military groups. By strategically promoting and providing fellowships to master's-level counseling students, the NBCC MFP strengthens the infrastructure that engages diverse individuals in counseling and increases the number of substance use disorder professional counselors who provide direct substance use disorder services to minority populations. 

"We are so proud of Shayna and Nicole, both of whom are very deserving recipients of these fellowships," said Kevin Doyle, EdD, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. "This marks the third consecutive year in which one or more of our students have been so recognized, and we are thrilled that our graduates will help address the dire need for a highly trained and skilled workforce to help underserved populations address substance use and mental health disorders long into the future."

Eligible applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience in addictions/substance use disorders services to one or more of the following: underserved minority communities, child/adolescent and geriatric groups, minority communities in inner cities and rural areas, minority persons (including LGBTQIA+), or those who are veterans or are from military families.  

The scholarship recipients